Upstate, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier??? (New York, Buffalo: salary, work, home)

[Tinman313]

I would move back if I where a little younger.Too old and to cold for my bones,Have aritist been in Florida about 28 years.
Nothing left up North for me,I'm looking at Northern Georgia,Just me and the cat now. Lost the wife 3 years ago.........
Just waiting too retire 18 months and holding..............

[sqwrell]

Originally Posted by pioneer8

I'm so confused. I did a search online to try to figure it out, but to no avail... I have never been to NY and may be relocating with my family. I'm just lost with where these regions are located. I know this is pathetic, but I especially can't grasp what is meant by upstate - is it everything other than NYC? Someone on this forum mentioned something about "anything south of Syracuse" was difficult for them to refer to as "upstate". I can't remember... I just know I'm confused. Can any good samaritin help me to comprehend this better? Preciate it!

simplistic view
upstate ny is around syracuse and area
central ny is utica and area

regards,
removed

[Mollikins]

Since I was a child (& spent many many many years in the area) this is how WE viewed the state "divisions."

Upstate = Saranac Lake, Watertown, Lake Placid
Central = Syracuse, Auburn, Cortland
Southern Tier = Norwich, Binghamton, Johnson City/Endwell/Vestal
Fingerlakes = Ithaca, Lansing, Greene
Downstate = NYC (every nook, cranny & borough ), White Plains, Poughkeepsie
Western = Buffalo, Jamestown, Rochester
Eastern = Albany, Troy, Schenectady

The lines may have become blurred or distorted over the years, but I think this is an acceptable "drawing of NYS."

[westtoeast]

Any comments or suggestions for someone wanting to make this move?
I am looking for a nice (small) home with some land, New England beauty and peace and quiet. BUT, not too far away from somewhere when I want a nice meal or evening out.

[Tinman313]

Originally Posted by Samohtal

Rochester is often lumped in with the label Western NY, but many of the eastern suburbs of Rochester could be on the fringe of the Finger Lakes Region, too.

You could even find debate about how many Finger Lakes are actually "Finger Lakes". Most say 6 - some count a few more. I grew up near Keuka Lake, IMHO the prettiest lake of them all (its the one with a fork in it - between Bath and Penn Yan). I'm not the only one ... British Airways named route 54A along Keuka Lake as one of the Top 15 Scenic Drives in the World! That's pretty impressive, and I lived there most of my life until after college.

Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga, Owasco, & Skaneateles (listed west to east) are most commonly referred to as the Finger Lakes, although there are a bunch of smaller lakes in the area that some count as well. Regardless, the lakes help to make the area very condusive for growing first-class wine grapes and, in fact, NY State is the second only to California in wine production in the US.

My only complaint is that those lakes are so deep, that they stay pretty cold until late into the summer months. The southern lakes in the US I have been exposed to - like Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia, Lake Norman & Wylie in the Charlotte, NC area - are much more shallow and much more murkey than any of the Finger Lakes. If they had lakes like these deep, glacier-formed lakes in a hotter climate - they would be impossible for anyone that wasn't a millionare to live on. As it is, even in the cooler climate of upstate NY - buying a property on one of these pristine God-made lakes is enormous. Fortunately, there are good public access spots and a lot of good restaurants around the lakes as well.

Cayuga Lake is Bigger I grew up their in the 50's all the lakes are great a "total of 12"

[Ex-Ithacan]

Originally Posted by westtoeast

Any comments or suggestions for someone wanting to make this move?
I am looking for a nice (small) home with some land, New England beauty and peace and quiet. BUT, not too far away from somewhere when I want a nice meal or evening out.

You'll probably want to look a little ways outside of Ithaca. The city itself is priced a bit higher than much of upstate, and not a lot of land go with the houses in the city. Maybe you can check out Lansing, Dryden, or Trumansburg. Ithaca does have a wealth of restaurants, and with Cornell, Ithaca College, and community involvement, there's plenty of cultural attractions for a small city. Plenty of outdoor recreational as well. Best of luck in your search.

[Lauri_25ny]

The official titles handed out are bit off. Most, if not almost all, people consider the Binghamton area as the Souther Tier. Ithaca, etc. is The Finger Lakes; The Twin Tiers is pretty much the Elmira area. The North Country is, and I might be wrong on this, anything north of Albany.

To me, Upstate is everything north of where they pronounce coffee as cawfee!

[I'minformed2]

That's EXACTLY my definition. A lot of people call Buffalo and Rochester "Western New York", but I consider that a sub-division of Upstate.

[Lauri_25ny]

I always thought of Buffalo, etc. as the Niagara Region. I get too messed up with the whole Eastern, Western, thing!

[I'minformed2]

Yeah, Technically Rochester is considered "the fingerlakes" by the census beurue and that map.